The Freeze Response Behind Burnout
The ‘freeze response’ is the sneaky nervous system behaviour that might be sitting behind the fact you feel on the edge of burnout.
We all know from secondary-school science that, when faced with a threat, our bodies can go into ‘fight or flight’. But what I never remember being taught about in school is the freeze response. It was only really when I got to A-Level and Degree Psychology that I learnt more about the lesser-known siblings of fight/flight – that is ‘freeze’ and ‘fawn’.
To ‘freeze’ is a pretty good survival instinct for your nervous system to have developed. Faced with a sabre-tooth tiger, your cavewoman ancestors may have survived by ‘freezing’ – making themselves hidden, smaller (think ‘playing dead’).
But when our modern-day threats are no longer the sabre-tooth tiger, but instead often a cumulative build-up of pressures – at work and in our personal and social lives – that lead to feelings of emotional overwhelm, the freeze response doesn’t feel too helpful. In fact, it can lead to us feeling numb, dissociated, anxious or unable to participate in life.
Feeling overwhelmed and burnout is something I experiencing myself during my teaching career.
And it literally felt like I was going about my days in a trance. I was still functioning (we now know about functional freeze), but I wasn’t participating in life.
And something that I completely abandoned (and I see many women I work with doing the same) was a connection with my self. As well as being numb to the world, the volume on my own needs turned down too. Nutrition, exercise, time in nature, engaging in conversation about how I was feeling – I didn’t do any of it. Until one day I literally could not open my front door to leave for work.
When life feels overwhelming, disrupting the pattern of life in a small way can be a good place to start. I found such relief in stepping out into nature, booking a massage, or speaking to one of the amazing women healers I had around me at the time. It was connection I needed – and a space just for myself.
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed and teetering close to the edge of burnout, start small. Why not make today the day you begin to reconnect with yourself. Step out into nature – feel the grass underfoot, observe the new buds of spring – heck, hug a tree! – and by doing so, you’ll feel yourself gently stepping back into your self.
And, if you’d like a space to escape to, my in-person Reset Session might be just what you need.